CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A Dominican Republic native was given 10 years in prison by a federal judge for bringing nearly 13 pounds of cocaine to the territory.

U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Gomez re-sentenced Tomas Liriano Castillo, 44, to 121 months (10.0833 years) in prison followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and six months in prison for illegal entry, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.

Judge Gomez also ordered Castillo to pay a $210 special assessment and complete 300 hours of community service.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on May 9, 2016, Castillo traveled by boat from Tortola to Hull Bay, in St. Thomas with a back pack containing cocaine.

After Castillo got off the boat with the back pack, he tried to discard the backpack when he saw agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) approaching him.

Testimony at trial further established that when the back pack was recovered, it contained approximately 5.8 kilograms (12.79 pounds) of cocaine, and that Castillo was not in the Virgin Islands lawfully. Castillo appealed unsuccessfully to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in New Jersey. Although, the Third Circuit affirmed the convictions, it noted an error in the sentence and demanded re-sentencing.

The case was investigated by the DEA and U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The Author

John McCarthy

John McCarthy has been reporting on the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Caribbean region since 1989. John's articles have appeared in the BVI Beacon, St. Croix Avis, San Juan Star and Virgin Islands Daily News. He is originally from Detroit, Michigan.